We are back from a fabulous week away and a much needed family vacay! Honestly, this trip was a whirlwind but we enjoyed every single second of adventure. When we go on vacay…we go on vacay! It was 9 days full of fun and adventure {Phoenix –> Joshua Tree –> Palm Desert –> Newport Beach, which included a day in Disneyland} and we added a few favorite places to our growing list!
Joshua Tree had been on hubby’s bucket list for many years and WOW! All I can say is add it to yours! It is honestly like being transported to another world and we just lost ourselves in the unique beauty of the park. Every turn was more beautiful than the next and I honestly can’t wait to go back again and explore some more!
We ended up flying into Phoenix and spent a half a day there before making the 4 1/2 hour to Joshua Tree! We had never been to the desert and this part of the country so the drive was fun for us seeing all the cacti on the side of the road and as we got closer to Joshua Tree the beautiful mountains and desert.
Hotels are pretty sparse in Joshua Tree. I would think most people stay in the Palm Desert area and drive to the park for the day. It’s about an hour drive. We did the opposite and decided to stay near the north park entrance, spend the day driving through the park and exploring and then hit up Palm Desert. I ended up finding a cute Airbnb very close to the park entrance that was honestly perfect for the 5 of us. It was super cute, clean and very affordable. Here is the link if you ever want to check it out! There are many Airbnb’s in the area but because it was the week of spring break many were booked so definitely plan ahead.
As for meals, again, very limited. There are a handful of restaurants but that is about it. And the nearest grocery store is miles away in Yucca Valley. Also because of spring break everything was pretty crowded! The night we were there we ended up getting pizza from Pie for the People and it was an hour wait. That morning we had a big breakfast at Country Kitchen before making our way into the park. Again, maybe only 5 restaurants to choose from so keep that mind if staying there.
One stop we did make before heading into the park was at the Noah Purifoy Foundation. We spent a little less than an hour here and the kids had a blast checking out all the art installations. It literally is an outdoor art museum in the middle of the desert and something I have never seen or experienced before. Definitely make it a stop if you are in Joshua Tree.
The rest of the day we spent exploring Joshua Tree. We entered at the North entrance. And if you want to grab a souvenir this is the entrance to do so and because it is the only one with a gift shop. Also something to keep in mind is that the North and South entrances are two very different landscapes. I preferred the North entrance where most of the Joshua Trees and large rock formations were. The South entrance is the Colorado Desert where you will see many different types of cacti and plants. There is also a cactus garden which was pretty cool. Again I preferred the North side of the park which is where we spent most of our time. The kids loved exploring on some of the easier trails and climbing on all the rock formations.
One thing not to be missed while in the park is the Keys View which is a lookout point and absolutely drivable. From up there you could see the entire Coachella Valley and on a clear day the San Andreas Fault. It was honestly breathtaking and even the kids were in awe of the view. We got some great photos up there! Definitely don’t miss this if you are in the park!
We spent a good part of the day exploring the park and then headed out to our next stop, Palm Desert! This was another place we had all never been to and a place we certainly can’t wait to go back and visit. We were here for about 2 days just soaking up the beautiful desert air. Here is a mini guide of where we stayed, what we did and where we ate!
WHERE WE STAYED:
Again a lot of the hotels were booked because it was Easter weekend. We ended up staying at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa. I got a good deal and secured us a Deluxe Executive Suite which was roomy enough for all 5 of us. This was a true resort with a kids club complete with movie nights on the lawn and a super fun slide at the pool that I couldn’t get the kids off of. They also had an Easter egg hunt with activities Easter morning which was an added bonus and treat for all of us. It was too far outside of the center of Palm Springs and I highly recommend staying here.
WHAT WE DID:
One thing on our must do list was to visit the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway! Boy was it an experience! {Just a note…there is an almost 30-40 degrees temperature change and I honestly thought it was an exaggeration. It’s not! It’s chilly up there and there are also some amazing trails so definitely pack accordingly!} Anyways, we got there pretty early to secure a spot on the tramway and the whole experience is literally amazing. You are literally taken up in a rotating tram car, 2.5 miles up and a difference of 6,000 + feet in elevation. I am not going to lie my knees were shaking but it is worth the ride. The views at the top are breathtaking and if you are extra adventurous you can go camping at the top in the San Jacinto Mountains, there are 50 miles of hiking trails. Next time we go, we will definitely come better prepared but the tram ride alone up and down is worth it.
Of course no trip to Palm Springs is complete without a little drive to check out all those beautiful front doors. Of course we drove by the iconic “Pink Door” of Palm Springs. It’s another must and many of the “famous” doors are located in the same area as the pink door. The kids had fun just trying to find them!
WHERE WE ATE:
There are TONS of restaurants in the Palm Springs area. One “must” I heard of time and again in my research was Cheeky’s. Located right off of Palm Canyon Drive this place has limited hours {closes at 2pm} and does not take reservations. It serves mostly breakfast or brunch type foods and is known for their pastries. Yes we had to wait {almost 2 hours] so it was considered a late lunch but thankfully the food was good and my kiddos were patient.
I am not going to lie, one night, the night we drove in from our long day in Joshua Tree we hit up In-n-Out Burger. Anytime we are in Cali we always try and hit one up and this one was super close to our hotel.
Our last night in Palm Springs, hubby wanted some good Mexican food so the hotel recommended a well known restaurant called Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage. It was a Saturday night the night before Easter so there was a nice, long wait. We were able to snag a table in the bar area and treated the kids to Shirley Temples and while we toasted with their house margaritas. The ambiance was great and they even had live music and a mariachi band which was fun. The food was good and authentic and it was a night well spent as our last night in the desert.We truly had a great time on this leg of our spring break vacay! We honestly hope to visit these places again one day soon and do some more exploring!
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